80-year old Jack McKeon has retired as the manager of the Marlins to make way for Ozzie Guillen. McKeon led the Marlins to a 40-50 (44.4%) record this year after taking over as the manager of the team. McKeon managed the Marlins for five years and he compiled a 359-341 (51.3%) record during the regular season. He was also 11-6 in the post-season (64.7%) as the Marlins’ manager, as he led them to a World Series’ Championship. McKeon will likely still help out in the front office for the Marlins.

The Florida Marlins have acquired 47-year old manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox for 23-year old infielder Osvaldo Martinez and 23-year old righty reliever Jhan Martinez. Guillen will take over as the Marlins’ manager on Thursday as the Fish will let Jack McKeon finish out this season and retire. Guillen led his White Sox to a 78-82 record (48.8%), which had them in third place in the A.L. Central, 15 games behind the Detroit Tigers. Guillen has a 678-617 (52.4%) during the regular season in his first 8 years as a major league manager. He is also 12-4 (75%) in the post-season and he led the White Sox to a World Series Championship in 2005, when he was named the A.L. Manager of the Year. It will be interesting to see how Guillen gets along with owner Jeffrey Loria, who is very hands on and doesn’t like anyone to challenge his authority. That’s part of the reason why he fired Joe Girardi after only one year.

Osvaldo Martinez came into this season as the Marlins’ #5 prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 20 games for the Marlins this year and he was 3 for 23 (.130 avg, .261 OPS) with 1 RBI. Martinez played in 34 games in his two years with the Fish and he was 17 for 66 (.258 avg, .648 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Jhan Marinez came into this year as the Marlins’ #4 prospect according to Baseball America. Marinez pitched in 56 games (0 starts) in AA-ball this year for the Marlins and he was 3-8 with 3 saves, a 3.57 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Marinez pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in 2010 with the Marlins and he was 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.25 WHIP.

Guillen didn’t come cheap, so he better win for the Fish. This was just the first of many high priced additions to the Marlins as they move into their new stadium in Miami for the 2012 season.

UPDATE: (9/29/2011) - The Marlins have sent 20-year old righty reliever Ricardo Andres to the White Sox to complete this deal. He pitched in 12 games (0 starts) in Rookie-ball this year and he was 1-0 with a 6.32 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. He is a developmental prospect, so the Marlins likely won’t miss him.

33-year old lefty swinging 3B Greg Dobbs was supposed to be a backup player for the Marlins in 2011 and little more. But, when rookie Matt Dominguez was injured in spring training, it opened the door for P.T. for Dobbs and he took advantage of it. Dobbs has played in 133 games for the Marlins so far this year and he is 113 for 407 (.278 avg, .707 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 8 homers and 49 RBIs. He has now played in 688 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 396 for 1,496 (.265 avg, .715 OPS) with 157 runs scored, 39 homers, 211 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. The Marlins would probably be open to bringing back Dobbs in 2012, as long as he would accept the role coming off the bench that he was supposed to have in 2011.

The Florida Marlins have suspended 28-year old righty reliever Leo Nunez for undisclosed reasons and they have placed him on the restricted list. His season is likely over. Nunez pitched in 68 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this year and he was 1-4 with 36 saves, a 4.06 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has now pitched in 211 games (0 starts) in his three years with the Fish and he is 9-13 with 92 saves, a 3.86 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. 25-year old rookie righty reliever Steve Cishek or 27-year old righty Edwin Mujica will close the rest of the year for the Marlins. Cishek has pitched in 42 games (0 starts) so far this year for the Marlins and he is 2-1 with 3 saves, a 2.84 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Edwin Mujica has pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Marlins so far this year and he is 9-5 with a 2.64 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Cishek and Mujica should do a solid job for the Marlins the rest of the way.

35-year old righty starting pitcher Javier Vazquez had a 3-8 record and a 5.83 ERA on July 1st. Since then, Vazquez has started in 14 games in which he is 7-3 with a 2.22 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has been super hot in September for the Marlins, as he has started 3 games in which he is 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. Vazquez has been talking about retirement after this year, but with the way he has finished 2011….maybe he should reconsider. Vazquez has now pitched in 30 games (all starts) overall so far this year and he is 11-11 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Don’t be surprise if the Marlins try to re-sign him over the winter.